Teaching courses in Univeristy of Tasmania

Hello,

My wife who is a Computer Engineer from India wishes to get into the teaching line. Since we're looking at Hobart when we migrate, we are looking at University of Tasmania and I have a few questions regarding the same:

1) Which is the best correspondence(distance education) course? Due to time and money constraints it won't be possible for her to attend college on a regular basis so we're looking at correspondence.

2) Is University of Tasmania's good enough to get a job? How good is the University? Is it recognized at least all over Australia(if not the world) with good value?

3) What are the fees for the course which you would recommend? I have seen on the website that the fees is different for domestic students as against International students. So would my wife who would be on a PR(189) be considered a domestic student or an International Student?

Hello,

 

My wife who is a Computer Engineer from India wishes to get into the teaching line. Since we're looking at Hobart when we migrate, we are looking at University of Tasmania and I have a few questions regarding the same:

1) Which is the best correspondence(distance education) course? Due to time and money constraints it won't be possible for her to attend college on a regular basis so we're looking at correspondence.

2) Is University of Tasmania's good enough to get a job? How good is the University? Is it recognized at least all over Australia(if not the world) with good value?

3) What are the fees for the course which you would recommend? I have seen on the website that the fees is different for domestic students as against International students. So would my wife who would be on a PR(189) be considered a domestic student or an International Student?

1) You would need to contact the University to consult with them on which would be the most appropriate course given her existing qualifications and her career path aspirations. There is no one on this forum qualified to give her that advice.

2) Yes, of course it is. There are graduates from this University working all over the world, including as academics in very prestigious institutions like Oxford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the last rankings I saw it was rated in the top 2% of world universities and had received more teaching awards than any other Australian university.

3) According to this a Permanent Resident of Australia is considered a Domestic student:

http://www.utas.edu.au/international/how-to-apply/international-or-domestic-student

The exact amount will depend on the course chosen.

1) Which is the best correspondence(distance education) course? Due to time and money constraints it won't be possible for her to attend college on a regular basis so we're looking at correspondence.

What does she want to study, and for what purpose?

In Australia there are two parts to the tertiary education sector: Higher Education (bachelors courses, masters, PhDs) and Vocational Education and Training, known as VET. VET is diplomas, at a slightly lower level than bachelors. Some institutions focus on one or the other, and some do both.

Univ of Hobart would appear to be entirely Higher Ed, but if she would want to teach in any VET colleges (including TAFEs) she would be required to hold the TAE40110 - Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Since April 2015 this is now mandatory for every teacher working in VET sector.

(And this means that recruiting teaching staff has just got a lot harder, because up to now not all of the lecturers had the qualification.)

This can be studied online or face-to-face. But be aware that there are some disreputable colleges operating in the VET sector, even those who are Registered Training Organisations.

Not sure you can become a teacher via distance learning. Maybe you don't mean teaching in the same way as I understand it.?

'Teaching' means becoming a faculty who teaches to students in either school or college. Can she not do a course through distance education and then become a teacher in any school/college? What about part time education?

'Teaching' means becoming a faculty who teaches to students in either school or college. Can she not do a course through distance education and then become a teacher in any school/college? What about part time education?

Yes, you can absolutely train to be a teacher through distance education. Australia is a large country and as such, is well set up for distance learning due to the vast area of the country. She will need to do all teaching pracs at a school of course. Most courses have at least 60 days on site in a school, some more. Many good universities offer excellent distance courses in teaching.

You should also consider looking at other universities that offer distance education (in any state), which also gives you the option to do all teaching pracs at local schools in your state. The course may be studied part time or full time. Your wife will need her qualifications assessed first by the overseas qualification unit (located in each state) to determine her education level. Once this is done she can apply to a university, the individual university will advise if she meets their requirements.

Your wife would be considered a domestic student as you both hold PR.

Teaching (aka lecturing) in colleges and universities (HE or VET) doesn't require a specific teaching qualification, apart from the Cert IV I mentioned above.

You need to know what you're talking about of course, and have experience and qualifications to prove it.

For VET courses you have to demonstrate your "currency" through industry activity etc. But you must have the Cert IV TAE40110.

For Higher Ed teaching you are supposed to be qualified at least 1 level higher in the Australian Qualifications Framework than the course you are teaching. So, to teach on a bachelors course (AQF level 7), you need to have a bachelors with honours (level 8). To teach masters students (level 9) you need to have a PhD (level 10). Alternatively you can demonstrate industry experience which is equivalent to understanding at the relevant level.

http://www.aqf.edu.au/aqf/in-detail/aqf-levels/

Teaching in schools is a different story, and is outside my area of expertise. I wouldn't expect you could qualify as a schoolteacher entirely online, since you would presumably have to do a placement/practicum in a school.